Gambling Commission explains recommendation on FOBT max bet cut

The Gambling Commission has clarified its position on the reduction to maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) after an MP claimed its recommendation was a drop to £30.

MP Philip Davies, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Betting and Gaming, said the Commission was selective in its wording and only recommended a reduction to “£30 or below.”

After speaking with a source at the Commission, Davies said it was clear that the limit of £2 was not introduced by the UK’s gaming regulators.

When contacted by Gambling Insider, a spokesperson at the Commission said: “The focus of our advice was on protecting consumers and how best to address the risk of harm, as set out in our licensing objectives.

“We recommended that a stake limit for FOBT (B2) non-slot games (which includes roulette) should be set at or below £30 if it is to have a significant effect on the potential for players to lose large amounts of money in a short space of time.

“The advice was based on the best available evidence and is focussed on reducing the risk of harm to consumers.

“We published our advice to ensure there was complete transparency about what we were recommending to government.”

Last week, Tracey Crouch resigned as Sports Minister after it was announced the reduction in maximum stakes playable on FOBTs would be postponed from April 2019 to October 2019.